December 22 2005

Andy Johnson

Iain Dowie fears Andy Johnson will quit Palace for a move to the Premiership unless his side end their slump.

Simon Jordan turned down a £5.5m bid from West Ham for the England striker this week.

But Dowie knows it will be hard to convince Johnson, 24, to stay at Selhurst Park if Palace make a mess of their promotion bid.

Dowie said: “It’s reassuring to hear the chairman say again that AJ is not for sale, but we’ve got to make sure we put some results together now.

“He signed a new deal in the summer but clearly it’s going to be much harder to keep him when he has been out of the Premiership for a year.

“We’ve had a dodgy little five-game spell and we need to put that right.

“We are capable of going on a good run of wins and AJ will really us help achieve that, so it’s a massive boost that we know he is staying.”

Dowie also revealed German midfielder Marco Reich has signed for the club on a permanent basis.

Reich, released by Derby in the summer, has agreed a one-and-a-half year contract, with an option for a further year’s extension, after impressing during a three-month loan spell at Palace.

Dowie said: “He’s agreed the deal, we’ve shaken hands and everything is done.

“We are pleased to have tied it up. He’s wants to stay and we want to keep him, so it’s a good move for everyone.

“He’s done very well for us and there was some fairly strong competition for him from other clubs in the Championship.”